Cyber Dictionary – Your Guide to the Wired World edited by David Morse (1996)

This is a dictionary full of "cyber" terms, back when that was a buzzword. It's too old to have "Google", "tweet", or "blog", but golly, if you forget what "IEEE" stands for this is a must-have.

There's a picture of Sonic next to their definition of "Sega", on page 249.

Sega

Japanese video game company that, together with Nintendo, dominates the worldwide video game market.

Sega, like Nintendo, manufactures proprietary video game consoles that can only play Sega games. In 1993, Sega released mega-CD, a new format of CD-ROM. The company also provides interactive entertainment for PCs, portable game systems and location-based electronic theme parks.

This book (at least, the edition I have) is positively lousy with errors. There's practically one on every page, I'm not kidding. For example, just look at these Sonic entries.

The one for AoStH, on page 358:

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Programmed for daily syndication, this 65-episode companion series to the ABC network series, Sonic the Hedgehog followed the trials and tribulations of the popular video-game star as he tries to save the planet Mobrius [sic] from his favorite enemy, Dr. Robotnik. The series debuted five days before the premiere of the ABC series.

A DIC Enterprises Production in association with Sega of America, Inc. and Bohbot Entertainment. Color. Half-hour. Premiered: September 13, 1993. Syndicated.

Voices

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Jaleel White of TV's Family Matters) encounters famed archenemy Dr. Robotnik as he attempts to free the people of the planet Morbius [sic] in this 26-episode half-hour network series version of the best-selling 1991 Sega Genesis video game. The series premiered on ABC on September 18, 1993, five days after the debut of a second 65-episode syndicated series, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. (See entry for details.) Two different versions of the show were produced for ABC and syndication, the latter of which ran six days a week. It marked the first time since the premiere of Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters that a character had debuted in syndication and on a network at same time. [sic]

A DIC Enterprises/Bohbot Production in association with Sega of America, Inc. Color. Half-hour. Premiered on ABC: September 18, 1993–June 3, 1995.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Sonic

He's little, he's blue, and he's a hedgehog that runs really fast. He's Sonic the Hedgehog, and he's working with the Freedom Fighters to free Mobotropolis – and the world of Mobius – from the tyranny of the evil Dr. Robotnik. First up, Sonic takes an undercover trip to the city to search for a missing microchip. Then, Robotnik clones Princess Sally and sends her to spy on the Freedom Fighters. Later, Sonic agrees to race Speed Bot in the city, but it's all a clever plot to capture Sonic. And finally, Sally takes on a dangerous mission even as the other Freedom Fighters try to reprogram Robotnik's droids!

Based on the arcade game [sic] by SEGA, Sonic the Hedgehog debuted in September 1993 as an ABC series, and a completely separate (though with the same creative team) syndicated series called Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. The animation is acceptable for what it is, but anyone over the age of eight will likely be bored to tears by the stories.

The DVD features four adventures: "Super Sonic"; "Sonic and Sally"; "Sonic Racer"; and "Sonic Boom."

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie

Sonic is back with more races to run, and the villainous Dr. Robotnik has dastardly plans yet again, starting with Hyper Metal Sonic, a robot version of the hedgehog! But when the Robot Generator is sabotaged, all life on the planet is in jeopardy. Will Sonic be forced to work alongside his archenemy, at the behest of the President's daughter, Sara?

The "Blue Blue" based on the SEGA game is back, this time with a pair of 1996 Japanese-produced OVAs, combined into a "film" for the U.S. market. There's nothing exceptional about the project, though it does sometimes look a bit better than its television counterpart. If you're a fan of Sonic, here's another helping.

From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog – A History of the Software Industry by Martin Campbell-Kelly (2003)

Oh, gosh, where to even begin on this one. Even the cover is problematic - there's an airline reservation, yeah, and then there's... a PlayStation controller? It couldn't have been a picture of Sonic? Or even a Genesis controller?

Okay, let's start with page 284, where it is erroneously intimated that Sonic, like Mario, began as an arcade game.

Later, the Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog made the transition from arcade machines to home consoles.

However, a couple pages later (on page 286), there is talk about Sonic being a "secret weapon", launching with the Genesis:

In any case, Nintendo's time in the sun was coming to an end with the arrival of 16-bit home consoles and Sega's secret weapon: Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sega introduced its $200 16-bit Genesis console in 1989. Besides the anticipated improvement in computational speed and visual experience, the Genesis came with Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's answer to Mario Bros. Visually, Sonic was a blue-furred amalgam of Felix the Cat and Superman. Sonic was a worldwide sensation, eclipsing even Mario Bros. and bringing in his wake animated cartoons, comics, T shirts, and lunchboxes.

Now, that was worded a tad ambiguously, but it almost makes it sound like Sonic launched with the Genesis in 1989. We all know that's not true - the Genesis was indeed launched in 1989, and Sonic was indeed a pack-in game for the Genesis, but two years later in 1991. Only sloppy journalism would conflate these two things and assume the game launched in 1989 as well. Surely no one could be that lazy, right? Think again; here's page 268:

Sonic the Hedgehog was introduced to American gamers in 1989.

There it is in black and white! Holy cow. I mean, this is just sloppy. (And am I the only one who thinks it's super lame to show a picture of an Archie Comic yearbook instead of the actual game under discussion? This is a book about software, you wouldn't think it'd be that hard to show some software.)

By the terrible logic implied by this author's poor fact-checking, Sonic 2 - also a pack-in game with the Genesis - would have been launched in 1989, on the same day as the Sonic 1. Bizarre! But not as bad as this table on page 282:

Classic Examples (publisher, year introduced)

Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1985)

Prince of Persia (Mindscape, 1989)

(It's a list of examples of video game in a bunch of genres, accompanied by the publisher and year of introduction for each.) But here the error is even worse, where Sonic is listed as having been introduced in 1985!

If you believed this book, you'd think Sonic started as an arcade game in 1985, alongside Mario Bros., and was ported to the Genesis in 1989. I mean, how can anyone take any of the data in this author's book seriously after this? Wow.

There's also another pointless mention of Sonic on page 309:

The tone of the British committee's "analysis of technological development" was set by the opening sentence: "Software engineering is the application of sound scientific, mathematical, management, and engineering principles to the production of programs, within estimated costs and at a competitive level of performance and price." Try telling that to the developers of Sonic the Hedgehog. This was a statement addressing yesterday's problems. It could have been written in the 1960s.

What's that even mean? This paragraph perfectly illustrates what I hate about this book: the author doesn't seem to care (or even know) anything about the things they are writing about, but is perfectly happy to sling nouns around in order to sound more hip and relevant.

Finally, the index (page 370):

Sonic the Hedgehog, 284, 286, 309

The index doesn't mention the pages with the table (282) and the picture (268)... I don't know if that's an oversight or standard practice for books like this. I wouldn't know - I get all my information from the internet, where I can be more confident about its accuracy.

30 November 2012

As a denizen of forums such as Sonic Retro, I am no stranger to seeing amateur (though often extremely talented) game designers, artists, musicians, and storytellers post a work-in-progress - with or without an explicit request for critique - which is then quickly followed by wildly varying and often contradictory feedback.

One such example is the Sonic Fan Remix project, which garnered comments that ranged from 'OMG! So much better than Sonic 4!' to 'Ugh, Sonic 4 is better than this.' You'd be hard pressed to find a broader spectrum, considering that the project managed to straddle the yawning chasm that divides the extremes of opinion on Sonic 4.

So what is one to do? Surely one cannot please everyone, not amidst calls of 'keep everything but X' and 'I like X but nothing else'. Short of mass brainwashing, getting everyone to agree is an insoluable problem.

It is tempting, then, to develop the attitude that it's all so much blather, don mirrorshades, and ignore criticism. However this isn't altogether helpful, because it is not uncommon for some criticism to be very useful. Clearly, one must heed some of it and discard the rest, and this is the standard practice.

But how does one determine the utile from the futile? Most creators have long since developed an intuition about criticism, and feel their way through feedback, managing just fine. But - as with most intuitions - when the brain is feeling stubborn that day and fails to provide a ready-cooked response like 'This guy's complaint is bullshit!', one can be set adrift with no clear path to resolving the anxiety a particular criticism has set abubble.

When intuitions fail us, rules - rote systems, invulnerable to the pitchings of mood - come to the rescue. And I have a rule, a deceptively simple one, but one which has proved its worth to me many times. I call it 'The First Rule of Criticism.' It has come in particularly useful to me, because my core personality is a volatile and unfortunate mix of extremely egotistical ('Holy crap, I just came up with the best thing ever! I rule!') and extremely empathetic ('I can see exactly why they hate this, even though I love it... what should I do?').

The rule is this: 'Only take criticism that you agree with.' It seems simple - obvious even - and that's probably because it's been intuition all along. But once it's a rule, you can rely on it to pull you out of nuanced situations that intuition fails to navigate.

But why should this rule be? What makes you the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong? Isn't the very nature of criticism someone disagreeing with you?

Well, no. It's not. And here's why: There's no objective truth when it comes to art. You can dig and dig, and you will never find one. Like, never. I meant it; you can put the shovel away.

And this isn't just some metaphysical relativistic mumbo jumbo philosophy that I'm asserting because I believe in it really hard, because I want everyone to be equal and happy. No, it's a physical reality.

Leaving aside that no one can even seem to define what art is for a moment (which is a whole other discussion) let's consider art to be 'a form of communication for which the primary purpose is the elicitation of emotions'. (You can contrast this with education, propaganda, and the many other forms of communication and find that it's a pretty solid definition.) And the reality is that different individuals have different emotional responses from the same stimulus. It's a fact about our brains; beyond our shared humanity and the mutable, transient whorls of culture, we have almost nothing in common. I'm the only member of my family that likes Jazz music, for example... and surely some of you have friends who either love Dubstep or are driven by it to grievously harm themselves or others.

So why make art if the demons that drive you are potentially shadows and smoke to everyone else? Well, the first reason that comes to mind is that - for most artists - they have to. It's not up for discussion. But for me the best reason is that art is both the best way to explore and understand one's own psyche and passions, and to connect with those who have been shaped in such a way as that they are resonant with yours. Art is, after all, a form of communication, and without it you may never discover those who truly understand you.

This is perhaps why there are "fandoms", communities that form around pieces of art and entertainment, with fiercely guarded borders. They are no mere casual alliance - they are a deep identity.

Ergo the rule: 'Only take criticism that you agree with.' Art is not about reaching the most people, it's about reaching the right people - and the first and most important person that fits that definition is you.

So I will leave you with a finer point on the rule, to help put it into practice: When you are confronted with a criticism, e.g. 'I hate the way your character is dressed', the natural response is to view it as a problem to be solved. How do I make this problem go away? (for me, this is almost pathological - as a programmer, I see every bad thing as a bug to be squashed). But that, to reiterate, is a poor response - it will only generate anxiety as you come against an insuperable wall with the lyrics of Rick Nelson's 'Garden Party' grafittied on it. The correct response is to ask yourself, 'has this criticism identified an actual problem that I have with my art, and has it given me any helpful insight for resolving it?'

29 October 2012

The conversation around classic video game music often centres around the usual suspects, for example the big names who were involved with the Japanese video game industry. But I like to be a little more [puts on shades]... eclectic.

15 August 2012

I was privileged to be a judge for the 2012 Sonic Hacking Contest. Now that the official results are in, here are my personal reviews of the submissions. You can read more about them, and download the public ones, here.

Note: This is the first year that I was able to play any 3D hacks, thanks to my new laptop, but I don't feel like reviewing them. I just don't have that much to say about 3D Sonic gameplay, as it barely interests me.

Four Fantastic Adventures

Amongst this year's crop of Hacking Contest submissions, these in particular stood out.

Sonic ERaZor

Hack of Sonic 1 by Selbi

I really warmed to Sonic ERaZor last year, and this year I like it more than ever.

Finally, all of the levels from Sonic 1 are represented in some way, each more twisted than the last, rounding out the experience so that it feels like a whole game and not a work in progress. The new tutorial shows you the ropes, neatly sidestepping any confusion the unique mechanics may have caused - and the quirkily written textboxes that impart the pearls of wisdom are an impressive programming feat in themselves.

The inclusion of a second special stage has me extremely happy, since the first was easily my favourite part of ERaZor last year. The challenge was satisfyingly brutal (yet fair enough I eschewed savestates) and the concept for the stage was novel - not just more of the same gameplay from the first. It couldn't be better.

In addition to how fun the game is, there are also a couple secrets to be sought, making the replay value not insignificant. In sum, it's one of my favourite hacks not just in the competition, but of all time. Verdict: Way Past Cool!

Sonic 2 Recreation

Hack of Sonic 2 by redhotsonic

At first I found the title a little ambiguous, but once I saw the hack in action it made sense; Sonic 2 is being used as a base for a brand new adventure that bears very little resemblance to the original. In fact it's more stylistically similar to the handheld Dimps titles than the classics - though thankfully not in any bad way.

You'll start in Portal Zone, which contains entrances to zones and an options menu in a way reminiscent of Sonic Advance 3. You can choose to play as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in a variety of combinations, as well as Redhotsonic (a red version of Sonic who's significance is best known to the creator of this hack, but is not really that interesting).

There are four zones in this build, all of which are laid out really well and are fun to play. The bosses are a mix of interesting twists on Sonic 2 bosses and original ideas, both implemented impeccably. The final zone, Chaos Angel, is a paean to its namesake from Sonic Advance 3, complete with the harrowing automatic platform ride. It's far more fun here with the classic physics than the borked Advance 3 engine, I must say.

But it's more than just a solid core. There's also a tasty shell of cool features, like sound distortion when underwater, and the ability to cancel Tails' flight in a manner similar to Cream's aerial mechanics in Advance 2. Thematically, the hack is not as tight as I would like, but it shows huge potential. With the talent on show in this build I have confidence in its future. Verdict: Way Past Cool!

Sonic Classic Heroes

Hack of Sonic 1 / Sonic 2 by flamewing

Previously known as Sonic 2 Heroes, Sonic Classic Heroes wasn't renamed for a trivial reason - now all the zones from Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 are present in one mega-adventure with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles racing through them together as "Team Sonic".

This hack is about far more than just having all three characters at the same time, however. Since you can switch between them, it's basically like having "Knuckles in Sonic 1" and "Tails in Sonic 1" hacks together, plus so much more. Everybody's signature moves are present, as are the three elemental shields from Sonic 3 - and even the Golden Shield, complete with homing attack when Sonic wears it.

What's more, both Sonic 1 and Sonic 2's special stages are present, each accessible from any zone using the methods of entry from their respective games. (The Sonic 1 stages award you Chaos Emeralds; the Sonic 2 stages, Sol Emeralds.) It adds an interesting new level of strategy to save up 50 rings for Lampposts in Sonic 1 zones, since I'm used to the comparatively easier task of saving them for the end of the entire level.

(On a side note, I always get a little thrill whenever I notice a hack has applied this fix I popularised, especially a hack I like and respect; not necessarily because my code was used, but because it means the creator and I are on a similar wavelength when it comes to Sonic gameplay.)

Collecting the numerous emeralds allows you to become Super Team Sonic, and Hyper Team Sonic, turning the screen into a psychedelic free-for-all of sparkling, flashing Mobians and Flickies. It's a sight to behold, and you almost feel sorry for Robotnik when the boss fights come around.

In addition to the cornucopia of features above, there's a cavalcade of tiny fixes, improvements, and other niceties. For example, Robotnik in Chemical Plant Zone now drops Mega Muck on himself when struck a blow, and the little animals in Sky Chase now sport parachutes. There's also a nice surprise tying Sonic 1 and 2 together after Scrap Brain Zone.

As is to be expected in a hack with the sheer volume of changes that Sonic Classic Heroes boasts, there are a few minor glitches but nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of this must-have experience. I think it will go down in the annals of hacking history as one of the greats. Verdict: Way Past Cool!

Sonic 1 Megahack: Ultra Edition

Hack of Sonic 1 by vladikcomper

This hack is a mixed bag. At first you're presented with ghastly n00b palettes, and the same old Green Hill Act 1, albeit with a homing attack. But when you reach the end of the act, you meet a brilliant, challenging boss. And then the process repeats - barely modified acts punctuated by some of the best boss fights ever in a hack, filled with humour and wacky gimmicks.

The overall experience is very short, since the zones have been reduced to one act in length. Honestly, I felt even this was too long - I think it should have just been a boss rush.

Despite the unevenness and weird choices, though, I really took a liking to it. It had Sonic doing some of the weirdest things he's ever done in a hack outside Sonic ERaZor, and it was brilliant. It feels good to be surprised by fresh and interesting challenges in a hack. Verdict: Way Past Cool!

Five Godawful Heaps

This year there are fully five atrocious hacks, most of which appear to have been submitted with the express intention of nabbing the Big Trophy (for worst hack submitted). At least, I hope that was what motivated these entries. If any of them was in earnest, I would have to feel a deep shame for their creators.

Even in jest, however, these entries still manage to be embarrassing. At this point it just isn't funny anymore, especially considering the number submitted. Such a joke was barely funny the first time, and it is only diminished with repetition.

I'm starting to think that even having the Big Trophy in the contest is a mistake - it only seems to encourage this kind of behaviour, leading to competition amongst some hackers to see who can vandalise Sonic 1 the most severely. It's my assertion that this is only unhealthy, and aside from irritating judges it also possibly devalues the artform as a whole.

I think there should be a "no intentionally bad hacks" rule to go along with the "no simple palette hacks" rule; but since that has not (yet...?) been implemented I'm duty-bound to nominate one of these sorry articles for the Big Trophy.

Sonic's Grand Adventure

Hack of Sonic 1 by Ravenfreak

Ravenfreak is a talented hacker, having distinguished herself with some impressive modifications of and research into the 8-bit Sonic titles, and is also a fellow Tech Member at Sonic Retro - so, honestly, I'm a little disappointed in her submission.

Sonic's Grand Adventure is essentially a molestation of Sonic 1, offering borked controls, palettes, music, text, and well, everything, really. To be perfectly fair, there are a few changes that got a chuckle from me, despite my impatience with the joke: "Spring Tard", "Tard Light", and "Crapy Brain" Zones, as well as upsidedown text in the HUD.

It's not worth a playthrough unless one is heavily masochistic, and it's not even as incisive a parody of n00b hacks as it could be. I really expected better. Verdict: Pass!

Ashura in Sonic 1 (2002)

Hack of Sonic 1 by Sonic Kid (Sotic Team)

From experience, I've learned to be wary of anything associated with Ashura. This hack only reinforced that habit.

Technically, there are a few other modifications (to simple things such as the music/level pairings and the text) but this is ultimately little more than a palette hack, meaning it barely qualifies to be a contender in the contest at all.

It's not so-bad-it's-funny, or even technically clever, for instance by incorporating bits of the Ashura phenomenon in interesting ways. I'd say it's a waste of time for everybody involved. Verdict: Pass!

Sonic BUGS

Hack of Sonic 1 by GreenSnake

Sonic BUGS appears to have - at least - some kind of theme. It's as if every possible bug the game could have is present simultaneously: the Sonic object fails to collide properly; the wrong amount of Rings awards an extra life; there is egregious lag when Sonic gets hit; Sonic won't even die when he falls off the screen.

This fails to be interesting, however, considering the end result is just another "purposefully bad hack". It took extremely little if any talent or creativity to create, and I would probably even take offense at its very existence but it's not worth the effort since hacking is all in good fun, anyway. Verdict: Pass!

Sonic the Sleeper in: The Nostalgia Dreams

Hack of Sonic 1 by Joseakadaman

Practically making my point for me, this hack is barely distinguishable from the one before it - judging from screenshots, anyway.

I had higher hopes for it due to the intriguing title, so I actually felt angry that it was yet another attempt to troll the judges. My capacity for charity is only so great - Verdict: Pass!

Gumball the Cat

Hack of Sonic 1 by cthboy

(I would show off images of levels other than Green Hill, but it's just so perfect for illustrating the truly bad palettes these people come up with, as it's usually the first level that's the most heavily modified.)

Judging by the earnest imperative to "have fun!" in the readme, and the fact that this is a character hack replacing Sonic with Gumball Watterson from the popular children's cartoon The Amazing World of Gumball, I guessed this might have actually been a kid's honest attempt to hack Sonic 1. A cursory Google of the creator's name basically confirms this.

Call me heartless, but it is partly for this reason that I think this is the worst of the worst submissions this year. It's also because it's truly awful, and so terribly incomplete that even using the word "incomplete" feels like employing a euphemism.

Seriously, you can play vanilla Sonic 1 while squinting and pretend any cat you fancy is running through the levels and it would still be a more polished experience than this. Verdict: Pass!

And The Rest...

Not necessarily the least, however. There are some really good (and really bad) hacks yet.

Flickies' Island Defense

Original Sega CD game by bgvanbur

Flickies' Island Defense isn't a hack of any game in particular, but a homebrew game for the Sega CD in its proof-of-concept stage. Posed as a rudimentary tower defense game, the gameplay isn't terribly exciting, but the dedication necessary to implement even such simple mechanics is impressive.

In the end, though, I wish that the same effort had manifested in a faster, more enjoyable style of play, even with the same level of simplicity. It's only a few extra bytes of RAM and lines of ASM that separate a static point-and-click interface and a field of more dynamic, action-oriented objects. So while I respect the technical achievement, there's nothing here to satisfy the gamer part of me. That's an important part of hacks, too. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic 1 CD Special Stage Edition

Hack of Sonic 1 by MarkeyJester

This is a proof-of-concept hack, and the concept being proven is having Sonic CD style special stages in Sonic 1, running without the need for the Sega CD at all.

Collect 50 Rings, jump into the stars that appear over a Lamppost (the only other change in the hack) and you'll be transported to a slightly slower, lower res version of one of the Sonic CD special stages, replete with UFO's, time-sucking water, and those annoying bouncing bumper walls.

From what little I know of hacking Sonic CD from my brief excursion into manually disassembling it, porting the special stage would be no mean feat. But this isn't merely a copy and paste job - MarkeyJester has created the necessary 3D effect from the ground up in order to recreate the stages. You can get a window into his process from his explanation.

I am extremely impressed with this, both from a technical standpoint (it's pretty mindblowing!) and because of what it could mean for future hacks. I'm no fan of the original Sonic 1 special stages, so the idea that 3D stages with custom background and floor texture art with any kind of moving objects on top are possible is really thrilling.

Everything about it can be gleaned from a video, but you might still want to play it just to feel the magic. Verdict: Way Past Cool!

Flicky Turncoat DX

Hack of Sonic 1 by GT Koopa

The little animals that Sonic usually saves (erroneously all termed "Flickies" in some translations, reinforced as a convenient synecdoche in the title) have all gone psycho and are now harmful to Sonic - even when he frees them from Badniks. As he battles his way through the baseball themed Pocky Field Zone, he must be extremely careful how he destroys enemies, or he'll collide with the escaping animal and take damage.

I think it's more than my personal dislike of baseball that makes me find this hack unsettling and underwhelming. The core idea of the evil Flickies doesn't seem to add much of value, resulting in what amounts to a mediocre level with a frustrating additional feature.

The art and music are average, and there's nothing exciting on the technical front, either. But I give it a point or two for creativity. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic 2: Flicky Turncoat Edition: Boss Rush Edition

Hack of Sonic 2 by GT Koopa

Another hack with the Flicky Turncoat brand, this is a brief Boss Rush through Sonic 2, with Flickies in control of the game's bosses, tweaked to kick the difficulty up a few notches.

I was allowed to select Marine the Racoon in the character select, and of course I had to try her out. I was disappointed to find that the character wasn't fully implemented, and was merely Tails with one or two sprites rather crudely edited to look like Marine. Of course the hacker can hardly be blamed for an unfinished feature, but I do wonder why the choice wasn't disabled in that case.

Ultimately the changes to the bosses weren't clever or exciting, with a couple exceptions. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic 1: Sonic CD Edition

Hack of Sonic 1 by Animemaster

Sonic 1 (or at least the first little bit of Green Hill Zone), with Sonic CD inspired features added, including time travel. The second act even has what looks like the beginnings of a Metal Sonic race.

However, it is woefully unfinished. Not even a single zone/boss cycle is complete. Partial layouts, camera event issues, and dozens of egregious game-breaking bugs make it unplayable. Nothing else demonstrated, like art, music, or even the core concept, is very original or interesting either. Verdict: Pass!

Sonic 1 Lunacy

Hack of Sonic 1 by Masochistic Maniacs

My opinion of Sonic 1 Lunacy has barely changed from last year. It doesn't seem to have changed much at all. The new level is far more complete, yes, but aside from how cool the art for it looks (which we've already seen most of) as a whole it's boring.

I still don't think I get the point of the whole thing. Normal and Hard modes are just awkward layouts spammed with enemies, and Lunacy mode is a kind of Kaizo Mario insane. It's not for me. Verdict: Pass!

Metal Sonic Hyperdrive

Hack of Sonic 1 by MKDarkon

Metal Sonic Hyperdrive was submitted last year and this year it has visibly improved. There's neat new title art, a bit of polish on the level art, and some general changes that kick up the professionalism a notch (like the removal of those damn kirbys).

But it's not enough. It still isn't really that fun to play, due to awkward layouts that don't fit well with the air dash and acceleration physics that Metal Sonic has. Some areas take good advantage of the wall jump, but the ability itself still hasn't been polished - its glitches and drifty feel make using it frustrating.

I personally dislike a lot of the palette and music choices, too. The ones that aren't tired hacking cliches are still offputting. But I give it a bit of credit for being a playable game with a coherent theme. It's a cut above average. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: A New Adventure

Hack of Sonic 2 by Shade Vortex

Merely Sonic 2 with new layouts (for the early levels, anyway). The problem is, the layouts are terrible. Someone needs to play Flying Battery Zone a few hundred times and read a bunch of Hirokazu Yasuhara interviews. Verdict: Pass!

Sonic The Hedgehog AGX

Hack of Sonic 1 by Blazer

This feels like a hack in the vein of the old builds of Megamix - large new layouts, extensive art edits that still maintain the basic feel of the zones, and super highspeed gameplay with lots of dashing.

What's there is competent, besides the horrendous wall jump, but it fails to really differentiate itself. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic 3 and Amy Rose

Hack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles by E-122-Psi

E-122-Psi, whose character hacks I've praised in the past (Sally in Sonic 1 in particular), has put classic Amy Rose in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Since the change of character is the whole point, the rest of the game remains the same.

While it's cool to see a bunch of Amy's hammer abilities from the Sonic Advance series remade, I'm not personally fond of them. Especially since she's also incapable of spinning or rolling, which is just anathema to me. So while it's cool to see it done, I wouldn't ever actually want to play the game like this.

It's great to see a character hack of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, as they are comparatively rare, and such a complete and competent one at that. The collision for the hammer sometimes feels off and leads to unfair hits, but it doesn't ruin the experience. It's a definitely worth a play for those who like Amy's controls. Verdict: Cool!

Sonic 2: Battle Race

Hack of Sonic 2 by ColinC10

From the title I had hoped against all reason that this was a hack which finally allowed all of Sonic 2 to be playable in split-screen 2-player mode. But such is not the case. Instead, it turns the standard Sonic and Tails game into what can only be called a "battle race".

Rather than focus the camera on Sonic and let player 2 taste dust, the camera now tries to keep both characters on screen - up to a point. If one or the other gets too far ahead, the other will "die" and be forced to wait to respawn, gaining the remaining player a point. At level end, the player with the most points wins the round. Wins and losses are kept track of on a scoreboard, so the humiliation of losing 100 games running can be screen captured for posterity.

While not as exciting as ColinC10's submissions in the last couple years, I would be lying if I said this wasn't hella fun. I played it with my brother, and we had a hooting, hollering good time, not unlike a session of Super Mario Kart. Verdict: Cool!

Untitled S3K Hack

Hack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles by D.A. Garden

This is merely Sonic 3 & Knuckles with new, authentic feeling layouts. Aside from being at a greater degree of completion, it hasn't really changed from last year.

The layout for Angel Island (the only one that's polished) is extremely good, but that's all there is to say, really. I'm sad to see the awful (and unnecessary) palette changes are still here, though. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tribute

Hack of Sonic 1 by TheBarAdmin

This is two zones, one loosely based on Seaside Hill / Ocean Palace from Sonic Heroes, and the other on Route 99 from Sonic Advance 3.

The art is a mix of neat original graphics, nicely reworked borrowings, and a few really ugly - though fortunately rare - pieces that leave me scratching my head. As far as a couple of partially original levels go, they're pretty good. Verdict: Okay.

Predisposition

Hack of Sonic 1 by Team Evanesco

As far as I can tell, this is nothing more than an attempt to recreate a Sonic CD act (Stardust Speedway). Unfortunately a few amateurish-looking changes to the HUD art and palettes makes it feel cheap, and non-functional objects (no plane switchers, wrong behaviour on the enemies and boosters) make the act a shadow of its former self. Verdict: Pass!

Sonic 2 Adventure Control

Hack of Sonic 2 by MainMemory

A hack of Sonic 2 overhauling the controls to behave like Sonic Adventure. You can even charge up a Light Speed Attack, which is pretty neat. I don't really like the way Sonic Adventure controls, but the hack is well done. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic 2 Secret Rings Edition

Hack of Sonic 2 by MainMemory

Sonic 2 with new mission objectives, such as collect no rings, destroy no enemies, escort Tails, and others. This would be interesting enough on its own, but there's a strange leveling system that increases your speed stats, as well as the obligatory homing attack. Pressing the A button also makes Sonic do some kind of crazy boost that can sometimes break the game. (I'm not sure if this is a debugging feature or not.) While the concept is sound and executed solidly, I can't really get excited about it. Verdict: Okay.

Sonic 2 Secret Rings Control

Hack of Sonic 2 by MainMemory

Not to be confused with the previous hack, this doesn't appear to have any missions. Instead, it's Sonic 2, but Sonic seems to have been infected by the brainworms from Limbo - he walks inexorably in one direction, and you're only able to make him jump. Okay, so you can try to force him backward, but he won't be able spin when he jumps back, so he's very vulnerable and also very slow. It's an interesting idea, but not one that held my attention long. Verdict: Okay.

My Nominations

See how my nominations differ from the real trophy recipients! Why do you care? Who knows!

Hidden Palace Trophy: Sonic ERaZor

Grand prize / 1st place. This is given to the overall best hack in the contest.

Wood Zone Trophy: Sonic Classic Heroes

2nd place.

Dust Hill Trophy: Sonic 2 Recreation

3rd place.

Big Trophy: Gumball the Cat

Worst hack submitted. Why was this even submitted?!

Simply an embarrassing "effort".

Green Hill Trophy: Untitled S3K Hack

Hack (or specific level of a hack if non-applicable) that plays most like a Sonic game.

D.A. Garden Trophy: Sonic ERaZor

Lava Reef Trophy: Untitled S3K Hack

Best level layout in a hack submitted. This was the Palmtree Panic trophy last year, but it has been reverted back to its previous name.

Angel Island wasn't just authentic, it was also a damn fine layout on its own.

Genocide City Trophy: Scar Night Place (Sonic ERaZor)

Hardest level in a hack submitted.

I know Sonic 1 Lunacy wants this trophy, but a challenging level has to also be fun to play, or there's no challenge at all - because the power switch gets hit and the player walks away.

11000101 Trophy: Sonic 1 CDSS Edition

Best technical hack submitted.

Holy frapping crapstack! That is all.

Knuckles Trophy: Sonic 3 and Amy Rose

Best new playable character in a hack submitted.

Amy's hardly new, unless we're speaking relatively. But the best implemented character hack deserves the win.

Fang Trophy: n/a

Best new enemy/badnik in a hack submitted.

Nothing stood out this year that I wouldn't classify as a boss.

Eggman Trophy: Evil Rings (Sonic 1 Megahack: Ultra Edition)

Best new boss or miniboss in a hack submitted.

Any of the bosses in this hack could have won, but I liked this one especially.

Spin Dash Trophy: Gravity Control (Sonic ERaZor)

Best new ability in a hack submitted.

The only thing that would make it better is if it was controlled by blowing into the DS microphone. =P

Carnival Night Trophy: Underwater Sound/Music (Sonic 2 Recreation)

Most innovative game play feature in a hack submitted.

It's cool to see this feature from Sonic Rush / Rush Adventure recreated on the Genesis.

Emerald Trophy: Sonic ERaZor

Best Special Stage in a hack submitted.

As if there was any doubt.

Crystal Meth Trophy: Sonic Classic Heroes

Most replayable hack submitted.

This is how I'll have to play Sonic 1 and 2 forever, now. =P

Robotnik's Revenge Trophy: Sonic 2: Battle Race

Best new concept based on existing concepts in a hack submitted.

It's a tough job to make Sonic an appealing 2-Player game, and while this was far from perfect it was fun as hell.

Casinopolis Trophy: Sonic ERaZor

Most entertaining / fun hack submitted.

The variety is what makes it really excellent.

Vector Trophy: Sonic 1 Megahack: Ultra Edition

Most humorous hack submitted.

Anyone who plays it to the end can see why.

WTF?! Trophy: Flickies' Island Defense

Most unique hack submitted.

It stands apart from the rest as a totally different kind of game. I wonder what will become of it?

Christmas Present Trophy: Sonic 2 Recreation

The best hack submitted that no one saw coming.

I can't really speak for what everybody else saw coming or not, but I was very surprised and pleased with this, a treat at 4 levels long.

Tails Trophy: Sonic Classic Heroes

Most improved hack from last year's contest.

I'm so happy that it's nearly doubled in size. =)

Generations Trophy: Sonic Melponterations

Best Sonic Generations mod in the contest.

I'm impressed by the obscure level choice (rather than something from Unleashed) and the lack of outstanding glitches, and also the classic remix of Sky Troops' music. It made me laugh out loud in a few places, too. =P

10 August 2012

I'm sure it's partly because it's the current vessel for my adoration of handheld gaming in general, having sold my Sega Game Gear years ago. There's something magical about a personal system you hold in your hands - no cords, no mess, no TV to switch to the correct input function. Just you and the games.

But it's also because it's one sweet little machine, with some of the best software ever. Ghost Trick? Yes, please. The Mario & Luigi series? Most definitely. Professor Layton and the Umpteenth Sequel? Can't get enough.

Which is why I was more than a little annoyed when I found that quite a number of the first party Nintendo titles and other high profile games were terrible. Not all of them, obviously (I just praised Mario & Luigi a paragraph ago) but enough that I felt my DS high evapourating. Metroid Prime Hunters? Boring. Starfox Command? An insult. Okamiden? Contender for worst game I've ever tried.

So I began looking in unlikely places for the next DS experience that could recapture the magic. I went through Wikipedia's entire list of Nintendo DS games. The next great thing doesn't have to be part of major franchise, after all - it could be something obscure.

Case in point:

Giana Sisters DS, a remake of a Super Mario Brothers clone that I'd never heard of, originally for the Commodore 64.

Let me continue by saying how much I love my Commodore: Also a lot. It was my first computer, where I played my first video games and where I learned to program, so I'm left with a strong nostalgic fondness for software of the era.

So, despite it being potentially a crappy knockoff, I decided to give Giana Sisters DS a fair chance. If it was even a passably good platformer it would be a good addition to my DS library; better than the bevy of talky, overwrought offerings with poorly designed control schemes that I'd been slogging through, anyway.

To make a long story short, I was completely surprised when I played it. Far from being merely passable, it was exceptional. With every level cleared, it climbed my personal ladder of great platformers, eventually settling in the top echelon with the likes of Yoshi's Island, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and Ristar, as if it had always been there.

It is extremely rare for me to develop another "favourite game". Since Skies of Arcadia (a decade ago), I had assumed it might not happen again. Maybe I got cynical in my old age or something. But this year it's happened multiple times: first with Ghost Trick, then with Limbo, and now with Giana Sisters DS. (So maybe I'm actually getting soft in my old age. =P)

Despite being a DS game, I was impressed with how much Commodore flavour it managed to preserve. I know I've never played the original (I plan on it now, though), but I have played countless other games on my Commodore, and spent many happy hours entranced by the warm, friendly glow of their double-width pixels on a CRT monitor. Maybe it's the timbre of the music, maybe it's the lack of dialogue, maybe it's the solid-as-a-rock controls and physics, but Giana Sisters DS captures that transfixing immediacy that those classic games had, that sense of ultimate connectedness of being in a universe that might as well contain only you and the game.

It was probably amplified by being on the DS, not only because I was holding the experience in my hands, but also the newly added bonus feature of the bubblegum: Giana can blow a bubblegum bubble, step inside it, and fly around (ain't platformers grand? =D). Her altitude is controlled by blowing into the DS microphone, and though other DS games employ the microphone in similar ways, this was the first great use of it I'd encountered. It created a novel, almost intimate, connection with the game world that other methods of controlling intensity - such as tapping a button less or more quickly, or tilting an analog stick - have always failed at. Simply by blowing harder or more softly, intentions are immediately translated into the gameplay; only a psychic connection could do better. And, humorously, it results in one of the few gaming experiences where going "FFFFFUUUUU" might actually help.

Their design philosophy behind the game - or at least what bits of it are revealed on the Kickstarter page and their site and forum - seems to be spot-on, as well, which I appreciate as a budding game designer.

But don't let me hold you up here. Go check it out and consider backing it!

07 August 2012

For those who don't know, I've been working on a Sonic engine in Game Maker for a long time (read: since 2006). Originally it was going to just be for my own Sonic Freedom project, but as I got deeper into the Sonic community I really wanted to make it open so that others could use it to make their own games as well.

Thus was born AeStHete, which could best be described as a "template" game. Basically a bare-bones Sonic fangame containing nothing but the engine, a bunch of objects, and a host of level creation tools. Anyone who downloaded it would create their own game by "hacking" AeStHete in much the same way ROM hacks are made - replacing assets and editing engine code.

However, I got caught up in the draining process of adding features to make it "nicer"; I wanted to make it all things to all people. So I sunk many months of work into the interface. But at heart I just want to make games, so this wound up frustrating me and slowing progress.

Bouts of sickness, a month's stay in hospital, severe family and financial issues also got in the way. My only way to stay sane was to shelve AeStHete, and work on a focused, specific fangame: Sonic Time Twisted. And after that's finished? Well, I have other games I want to make, also - Sonic and otherwise.

Now, I've given the source of various AeStHete builds to others who were interested, in the hopes it would help them with their own projects. But I always have to do so with the caveat that I can't offer a lot of tech support: they'll have to figure out the code for themselves.

What I'd like to do soon is make the latest source of my GM version completely public, since I don't know how long it will be until I can get the ideal C++ version finished.